An address at the Prince Hall Cemetery Memorial Day 1998 delivered by
Richard Erickson

Dignitaries all, Brothers and Sisters. I want to share with you a little story our minister Rev. Albright shared with the congregation this last Sunday morning. It seems that a pastor picked up the morning paper and was his usual habit and turned to the obituary column just to see if anyone he knew had passed away. Low and behold there was his own name; he checked the details----died unexpectedly---name and address correct ---naturally he was dumfounded. He decided the best thing to do was to call one of his leading parishioners. He called----Good morning this is your pastor, the voice on the other end of the line simply said yes, rather hesitantly. Did you read the obit column this morning Mr. Jones? Well yes as a matter of fact I did. Did you see my obituary? After a rather long pause Mr. Jones said that he had and timidly added. Where are you calling from? 
As I look around on this glorious Memorial Day, I wonder how many here remember the other name for Memorial Day. That’s right Decoration Day---set aside as a time to remember and decorate the graves of those who gave their lives in the Civil War 
Later the name was changed to honor the dead of the first World War---remember that was the war to end all wars---but history will repeat itself and wars continue to be fought as I guess they always will be, at least that is what the Bible tells us, mankind being what it is. 
In our neighborhood of Arlington many of us have gardens of flowers and vegetables sometimes only trees and shrubs. These gardens attract many birds--however in the past few years we have had an increasing number of mocking birds--this particular bird has a penchant for driving away other birds even those three or four times its size. It will perch on the highest point of an area and parrot the songs of other birds for hours on end moving from high point to high point to mark out its territory--it seemingly has no song of its own, only the songs of other birds. I've often thought how like people the mocking birds are doing the same things other people do in hopes of carving out a little fiefdom of their own. They have become ~possessed with keeping the status quo in their own small world without becoming truly an individual. If we in our endeavors cannot step outside our own small sphere and do what we really believe and feel, we too become like the mocking bird--- living a life of borrowed song in our own little acre. Shunning the great opportunity for realizing what is really in our minds and hearts because we are fearful of rocking the boat or shaking the foundation of our organized society. 
I think of the many great people of the past who dared to do what their hearts dictated--- Leonardo DaVinci, Michelangelo, Thomas Jefferson, Martin Luther King, George Washington Carver, Franklin Roosevelt and hundreds more that come to mind. 
We of The Arlington Historical Society are determined to reflect on the past not for itself alone but to show what has been done in the past and perhaps to help people from repeating the mistakes of the past. 
This green plot once forgotten and neglected once again glows with a mantle of green and because of your love, caring, and attention, it remains a remnant of the past-- an illustration of what can be done when people are willing to step out of their own comfortable limited domain and follow the dictates of their hearts. For this love and caring we of the Arlington Historical Society salute you one all.
Remember the Mocking bird.